Protesting the Pro Bull Riders in Tacoma 3/21/09

Kris stands with the “Animals Are Not Property” sign alongside Ryan and Shannon Hill of Sky’s The Limit Sanctuary, Paul and Maggie Bowen, and Dave Roers outside the Enunclaw Live Animal Auction in June.

Kristina Giovanetti is the founder of Seattle Farmed Animal Save, a nonprofit that’s part of The Save Movement, a global effort that started in December 2010 with Toronto Pig Save. The idea is to bear witness to animals sent to slaughter in our own communities. Kris has been holding personal vigils at the Enumclaw Sales Pavilion’s live animal auction for about a year and invites everyone to join her.

The next vigil is from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, July 15. As the Facebook invitation says, “We are a grassroots, love-based, and peaceful organization. We believe in non-violence and the transformational power of compassion. We follow a Tolstoyian perspective in that we do not believe in turning away from suffering, but instead moving closer to it.” It’s a heart-wrenching experience to watch roosters, geese, rabbits and others struggle and cry out as they are auctioned. There are almost always day-old dairy calves, piglets, lambs and baby goats — and once a month, they auction horses that are sold for slaughter.

It’s also powerful to stand on the road outside the pavilion with signs reminding people that animals don’t belong to us, encouraging them to go vegan, and to honk for the pigs. A surprising number of people honk! A lot yell for us to “get a job,” too, which is puzzling and good for a laugh.

Here’s a Q&A with Kris about The Save Movement in Seattle:

What moved you to start a branch of The Save Movement here?
In June 2016, I attended an all-day vigil in Toronto with Anita, the founder of The Save Movement. We spent 16 hours bearing witness outside pig, cow, and chicken slaughterhouses. The pigs deeply affected me – looking into their eyes, you can really see the fear, you can sense their suffering in a profound way.

Pigs are very much like dogs and to lock eyes with them, to reach out and stroke them in an attempt to provide a moment of comfort and then watch the truck turn into the slaughterhouse where you know they will be brutally killed just moments later is a life changing event.

That day in Toronto I became an activist.

When did you start going to the Enumclaw Live Animal Auction? What have you seen there?
When I returned home, I immediately started looking for places near me to connect with the animals and share their stories. My first trip to the auction barn in Enumclaw was in July 2016.

I’ve seen so many horrible things there – the chickens are transported in cardboard boxes with a few air holes punched in the sides. There is a stone-faced woman who always works the birds. She reaches in, pins their wings behind their back and yanks them out of the box. The birds are screaming, literally screaming as she holds them high and waves them around in the air for a few seconds as the auctioneer works the crowd and finally sells them for 3 to maybe 9 dollars. Then the woman shoves the screaming and terrified bird back into the box, head first.

The day-old male dairy calves always stay with me, in my mind, for days after I see them. They still have umbilical cords dangling from their bellies and look absolutely bewildered. They have no idea they are being sold to become veal calves and will spend the next few weeks chained to a crate and will then be killed.

This place sells lambs and baby goats, too. The babies are always very hard to see. But I think the spent dairy cows are the most heartbreaking of all. They are absolutely skin and bones – it looks like they haven’t been fed for weeks. Their bodies are emaciated and they have large, swollen udders. But it’s the look in their eyes and the way they hang their head that just rips my heart out. These sweet, gentle beings have been impregnated over and over again, and have had their calves stolen from them every single time. Their bodies have been exploited and pushed absolutely to the breaking point. And when their milk production begins to wane, the farmers stop feeding them, then sell them to slaughter to become cheap hamburger meat. It’s absolutely gut-wrenching to see them.

What does it mean to you to bear witness as these animals are sold? What is the power of bearing witness?

Bearing witness is being present in the face of injustice and trying to help. When we bear witness we become the situation – we connect with our entire body and mind. And from that, action arises. The purpose of bearing witness is to provide love and compassion to these animals, to share their stories, to show the reality of animal agriculture, raising awareness to the public, and helping people make the connection. People need to understand what goes on so they will make the decision to stop supporting it.How do people react to the protest? What do you think of the calls to “get a job”?

We get about an equal number of supportive people and angry people, and a lot of people just pass by with no visible or audible reaction. The supportive people will honk in a friendly manner and give a thumbs up. The angry people show us their middle finger and yell at us. The comment to “get a job” is so curious to me because we hear it all the time, and I’ve heard it at vigils all over the world. I think what they are really saying is that we should do something constructive with our time.

Are there also slaughterhouses near Seattle? Where are they, and what do you know about them?

Yes, there are two slaughterhouses within an hour of Seattle that we have investigated and will be holding vigils at. Both of them are north of the city, around Stanwood and Mt Vernon. The Draper Valley chicken slaughterhouse kills more than 800,000 chickens each week.

Do you plan to have vigils at the slaughterhouses, too?

Absolutely! We are learning the truck schedules and will be starting vigils up there very soon.

Please follow Seattle Farmed Animal Save on Facebook and on Instagram, and join Kris in Enumclaw next weekend.

Although Ringling Brothers recently said it will stop using elephants in traveling shows, it plans to work them for the next three years, which is unacceptable.

Sadly, circuses have a long history of abusing, neglecting and overworking their animal performers. Behind the glamour and spectacle, hidden from the crowds, the animals are kept in pitiful conditions and treated without any respect for their physical, social and mental needs.

Elephants are particularly abused. They begin training as calves, separated young from their mothers, beaten, prodded with sharp metal hooks (called “bullhooks”), and electrocuted with charged wands to make them submissive and to force them into uncomfortable and unnatural physical poses.

As gigantic and intelligent animals, elephants require tremendous space for mental and physical stimulation. Wild elephants walk up to 30 miles every day, but circus elephants live their entire lives chained to the floor, often in the dark and standing in their own excrement.

It is up to us to speak for these victims of abuse and to create a better world for all earthlings. Thank you for your support!

The rodeo and the circus are coming to Puget Sound over the next few weeks — two great opportunities to educate people about the cruelty involved in using animals for public entertainment.

This rodeo is this weekend at the state fair in Puyallup. Rodeos commonly use something called a “hotshot” — an electrical jolt — to get animals riled up while they’re in the chute. While in the ring, the animals often wear “bucking straps” that burn their abdomens and groins and make them buck. That’s what you can’t see; then there’s calf roping and other obvious torments.

You can help educate people who aren’t aware of the pain, injury and deaths caused by rodeos by attending a demo this weekend:

When: Saturday, Sept. 12, noon to 2 p.m.

Where: Meet at corner of 9th Ave SW & 4th St SW, Puyallup WA

The circus is also returning this fall, at shows in Kent and Everett.

Its cruelties are well-documented, and earlier this year Ringling Brothers said it will stop using elephants in shows — although the animals will be retired to Ringling’s breeding facility. Ringling also uses big cats and other animals in its shows (it does not bring the big cats to Puget Sound).

You can help educate people about the torment that animals suffer in the circus at these demos just before each circus show in September and October:

Woodland Park Prison Zoo has announced it will send its lone African elephant, Watoto, to be exhibited in another zoo. Which could be even worse than here.

Watoto is 44 years old, and has spent every miserable one of them at Woodland Park since since she was taken from her mother as a baby in Kenya. IT IS NOT RIGHT that she die in a zoo. After 44 years of making money for WPZ, they OWE her. Every person who ever went to the zoo (myself included, once 15 years ago) owes her. Way more than can ever be repaid, for the theft of 44 years of family, friends and freedom. She has a host of painful health issues, as well as the emotional ones caused by prolonged solitary confinement. The absolute LEAST the Zoo should do is let her go. And the Performing Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) in California is willing to take her. There, she could roam on 80 acres of rolling hills, with a therapy pool, lake, and six other elephants.

Sign a petition to Seattle’s mayor asking that Watoto be retired to a sanctuary:

Also, save the date: Oct. 4th from noon to 2pm. Friends of Woodland Park Zoo Elephants is one of the sponsors of the Global March for Elephants and Rhinos. Details coming.

Come on. Whatever time remains to her with warmth, freedom and companionship…and all you have to do is take a minute or two? Don’t even think of saying “Later”.

Update, August 22: If you are only reading about this now, it is too late for Watoto, who died today. “Too Late” is a pretty terrible thing. It means she never. ever. knew a grassy meadow, or bathed in a lake, or made decisions about where she wanted to go and with whom. Not the world. Just simple things that should be natural for everyone. But she never had them, and now she never will. Let’s make sure we never have to say that about Chai and Bamboo. You were going to write for Watoto; write for Chai and Bamboo:

As some of you may know, at this very moment, five pods of bottlenose dolphins — 250 individuals — have been driven into The Cove in Taiji and await their fate. They don’t know life as they knew it is over, for all of them. The many juveniles and babies among them include a rare white albino calf who has been clinging to his mother as closely as possible in the panic of the drive hunt. These are his last hours with her.

During the selection process, families are all torn apart as some are taken to spend their lives in miserable captivity, some are hacked to death before the eyes of the others, and some (as in the case of a baby recently) are just driven away to die alone at sea.

I wish I could tell you how to go there and where to climb down to the water and cut nets to pieces. There are lots of things I wish I could tell you. But all I MAY tell you is that you can send your thoughts right to the Japanese Prime Minister Abe with this link:

Are you hopeless sometimes because things feel written in stone and immutable? Look: between all of us, and with Pasado’s, and PETA….these donkeys will NOT be kicked and yanked and hit and shouted at this Saturday. The event has been cancelled, and will not be repeated.

Unfortunately we were unable to prevent the Anacortes Middle School from going ahead with their inhumane donkey basketball event this coming Saturday, January 18th. (See my post from November 18th). Recently interviewed, the owner of the “Donkey Sports” company said, “Animal rights groups are a small, misinformed segment of society and should not be allowed to deprive the rest of the community from [sic] this fun event.”

Let’s ALL go and make sure no one going in remains unaware that this is animal cruelty, and that compassionate people are a SIGNIFICANT — AND GROWING — VOCAL SEGMENT of the population! The event begins at 6pm; protesters should be there at 4:30. Bring signs!

Whatever else you were going to do with Saturday, do this instead. Unless you are sabotaging fishing boats off a Certain Cove in Taiji, or something similar.

TODAY, Wednesday 23rd, the Los Angeles City Council unanimously passed an ordinance banning the use of bullhooks on circus elephants.

“(Elephants) are trained and guided with bullhooks, which are used to inflict pain upon them and sometimes cut them when they’re hit,” said Councilman Paul Koretz. “We really want to change that. We think it’s a very cruel practice.” Of course, the ban on bullhooks means that circuses, traveling shows and other events that feature elephants would not be able to perform anywhere in the city, because the bullhook is how the handlers maintain control. A spokesman for the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, says the ban was being driven by animal rights activists who want to force the circus out of the city.

UNFORTUNATELY, the ban allows for a three-year phase-in period — some of which will no doubt be used by the circuses trying to find a replacement for the bullhook. Presciently, the ban already includes baseball bats, axe handles and pitchforks. No mention of electric cattle prods, though.

Don’t let it surprise you that the Seattle event is at a seafood processor. American Gold is basically a “slaughterhouse at sea.” They hold 3,000,000 salmon in pens (with about 1 bathtub worth of space per fish) for couple years, before they’re scooped up and killed by their “Harvestor” ship. Factory farms extend far beyond traditional land animals. Fish suffer and oceans are polluted because of farmed fishing.

World Day for Farmed Animals will continue until animals are no longer seen as commodities, raised for their flesh and by-products.

Nordstrom continues to sell fur despite the cruel nature of the industry. As long as fur is sold at Nordstrom, Action for Animals will continue to organize demonstrations outside the department store. NARN members frequently join AFA at the demos to shed light on the horrors that millions of animals endure in the name of fashion. Farmed fur animals gassed, poisoned, or genitally electrocuted. Wild-caught animals suffer for days in traps and break bones and teeth trying to free themselves.

We want Nordstrom to know that it’s unacceptable to sell fur, and we want to let consumers know about the barbaric practices they’d support if they buy fur.

The good news is, fur is completely avoidable. If you think suffering and death is too high a price to pay for fashion, you’ve got choices. There are a lot of retailers who don’t sell fur. There’s even a list to help you shop with your conscience.

So if you see AFA and NARN outside Nordstrom, say hi or join in! We appreciate your support. While you’re at it, tell Nordstrom you won’t shop there until they stop selling fur. Here’s a petition you can sign and a sample letter.

Calendar

January2019

NARN's board of directors meets monthly to discuss our campaigns and administrative issues. Guests are welcome to attend if we have enough time on our agenda.

If you wish to have an agenda item added to the NARN Board Meeting, please email info@narn.org at least a day in advance. You can also send us a message on Facebook anytime or even the day of the meeting and we'll get back to you. All NARN Board Meetings are held in Seattle.

Join local activists to help educate the public about the dangers of purchasing dogs from places like Puppyland. Puppyland is a new store in Puyallup that sells puppies from breeders.

The demo is until 3pm, but don't feel that you have to be there the entire time. Come for an hour or two to help hand out fliers or hold a sign.

This is a peaceful demonstration, inspired by our desire to speak out against the dangers of allowing businesses like Puppyland to exist in our communities. Join us in providing free, educational information to the public about the dangers of supporting backyard breeding practices and puppy mills, the importance of spaying and neutering pets, the time and money it takes to responsibly care for a living creature, and the positive effects of screening pet owners through application processes.

For updates see the Facebook event page:
https://www.facebook.com/events/2093159060741059/

Come join us for a delicious brunch at the fabulous Celest Cafe AND write some letters for animals.

NARN provides the stationery, pens, stamps, sample letters, and ideas for what to write -- just bring yourself. You can even bring your laptop if you'd prefer to type or email your letters!

Why letter writing? Letter writing is a simple way to make change for the animals! At our letter writing events, we write for many different reasons: opposition to the creation of new animal laboratories, support for sending animals to sanctuary, promotion of vegan events and issues through letters to the media, and raising the spirits of activists and comrades who have been jailed for their pro-animal and political actions!

Join local activists to help educate the public about the dangers of purchasing dogs from places like Puppyland. Puppyland is a new store in Puyallup that sells puppies from breeders.

The demo is until 6pm, but don't feel that you have to be there the entire time. Come for an hour or two to help hand out fliers or hold a sign.

This is a peaceful demonstration, inspired by their desire to speak out against the dangers of allowing businesses like Puppyland to exist in our communities. Join them in providing free, educational information to the public

For updates see the Facebook event page:
https://www.facebook.com/events/512061562622307/

The University of Washington's Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) will be meeting to discuss various research protocols (study designs). This is your chance to voice your opinion about the research on animals that goes on at the UW. Please come and speak for the animals!
The meetings are held at the South Campus Center; Room #342 (in between San Juan Road & Columbia Road); behind the Magnuson Health Sciences Center (1925 N.E. Pacific St) )
http://www.washington.edu/maps/

Unfortunately, they frequently re-schedule or cancel their meetings in an attempt to avoid the public, so please call the Public Affairs Office at 206-543-9180 to make sure the meeting is still happening at the given time.
You can also check out their calendar here (copy & paste link into your browser)
http://oaw.washington.edu/iacuc-meeting-schedule/

This month we will be checking out Travelers Thali House. They have tons of vegan options. See their menu here:
http://www.travelersthalihouse.com/Menu102014.html
The Social Discussion Group is a casual event. Drinkers and non-drinkers are welcome, and you don't have to be vegetarian to participate. We hope you'll join us! Questions? Contact rachel[at]narn[dot]org

Join local activists to help educate the public about the dangers of purchasing dogs from places like Puppyland. Puppyland is a new store in Puyallup that sells puppies from breeders.

The demo is until 3pm, but don't feel that you have to be there the entire time. Come for an hour or two to help hand out fliers or hold a sign.

This is a peaceful demonstration, inspired by their desire to speak out against the dangers of allowing businesses like Puppyland to exist in our communities. Join them in providing free, educational information to the public

For updates see the Facebook event page:
https://www.facebook.com/events/406570843449273/

La Cocina School at El Centro de la Raza will be offering a tasty Vegan Tamales Cooking Class in partnership with the Food Empowerment Project! Now is your chance to learn how to make vegan tamales from a master tamalera! The tamales are prepared in the handmade and traditional fashion using cultural ingredients. Sweet sangrias, beer and wine will also be served and is included in the ticket price.

Class will begin promptly at 10:00 AM in the kitchen at El Centro de la Raza. Classes typically take 2.5 to 3 hours long. All cooking supplies and ingredients will be provided, but please bring your own apron.

The money for the La Cocina School at El Centro de la Raza Latin Cooking Classes go to fund El Centro de la Raza's Senior programs.

For updates on this event see
https://www.facebook.com/events/2404477662895760/